Reminisce

Reminisce

Bruce Von Stiers

Ashna Sharan is an actor and filmmaker. Last year Ashna had a short drama film that she wrote and starred in. Titled Shame, it was a very powerful film that delved into how women deal with the aftermath of being sexually assaulted.

This year Ashna has a film that has a little different topic. This one is about a young woman who is married to an older man. That man had been her college professor. The title of the film is Reminisce.

The film begins with Monica and her husband in their kitchen. Monica is preparing things for a meal with another couple. Monica gets a phone call from her sister. That sets off a chain of events that shape the story.

Monica's husband, Brian, is a lot older than her. The couple that are having dinner with them are Brian's colleagues from his college days.

As Monica is getting dressed, the other couple, Diana and Patrick arrive. The three of them, Brian, Diana and Patrick, start reminiscing about their college days. Brian breaks out his guitar and starts playing a song.

As this is all going on, Monica is in the bedroom feeling very apprehensive. Looking at a framed photograph brings back a painful memory for her. That moment is kind of the linchpin for the entire film.

There are four key elements in the film that pull everything together. There is a song that Brian sings, with Diana and Patrick joining in. There is an article in an alumni magazine about a professor who preyed on a female student. Diana may have had something going on with Brian back in the day. And there is the moment that I mentioned earlier, Monica's remembrance while looking at the photograph.

Ashna Sharan played Monica. She also wrote the screenplay and was one of the film's producers. Her goal is to get funding to make the feature version of the film. She starred as The Widow Ellen Conroy on the first season of Our Flag Is Death, and has over seventy screen credits. And as I mentioned, Ashna wrote and starred in the short drama film, Shame.

Elisa Nixon played Diana. She has around fifteen screen credits, including the horror film Trick and the drama Earthworm.

Roger Gutierrez played Patrick. He had the lead roles in two award-winning films, Model Citizen and Ranchero. His co-star in Ranchero was Danny Trejo.

Wayne Jay played Brian. He co-starred in an episode of Law and Order: SVU and is currently on tour with My Chemical Romance.

Anupam Dhyani did the voice of Monica's father, who was heard in the photograph remembrance I mentioned. He appeared in South By Southwest and Unload.

The director was Leslie Morris. She has been a camera operator for episodes of Blackish and The Terminal List and over a hundred episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

The cinematographer was Mario Mastromarino. He was the cinematographer for Summer of Love and God's Gracie.

The acting was well done. You can definitely see Patrick's uneasiness as the evening progresses. And Diana is both patronizing and antagonistic. Brian seems unaware of Monica's trepidation. And Monica has a ton of angst built up, but is still trying to be a good host to Brian's friends.

Reminisce deals with a subject that is often swept aside. Is it okay for a college professor to have at May-December relationship with a student? Is it considered predatory or a cutesy romance? In the Me-Too movement, have things gone too far or are women now being able to have a voice to tell of things that happened to them? These are some of the questions that came to mind when I watched the film.

Reminisce had its world premiere at Oscar Qualifying LA Shorts in July 2025. Since then, the film has been screened at West Sound Film Festival, Rock The Shorts, Studio City International Film Festival and the Foothills Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Short Film at DC South Asian Film Festival and Best Drama at Tarzana International Film Festival. The film will be continuing it's festival run for a while, so an official release date has not been set.

You can learn more about the film on it's Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/reminiscetheshortfilm/

One final thing, when asked what the filmmakers hoped audiences take away from the film, Ashna wrote, “We would like people to realize that relationships are not black and white, and to not let society or external forces affect your relationships.”

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